A Great Rule to Live By
Griffith Baptist Church – 3/2/08
A.M. Service
Text: Matthew 7:12
Key verse:
The Introduction
Life is filled with rules
Here are some rules given by different dad’s to their kids:
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity. - Rich Constand’s Dad
An excuse is a poor patch for the garment of failure. - Bruce Ley’s Dad
Always throw away the box when you take the last piece of candy. - Paul Whalen’s Dad
Honesty is like a trail, once you get off it you realize you are lost. - Mark Young’s Dad
Wherever you are in life, first make friends with the cook. - Bill Lewis’s Dad
Don’t shake the tree too hard, you never know what might fall out. - Timothy Davis’s Dad
A closed mouth gathers no feet. - John Beard, Jr.’s Dad
The second time you get kicked in the head by a mule it’s not a learning experience. - Ebb Dozier, Jr.’s Dad
You need to do what you have to do before you can do what you want to do. - Reed Caster’s Dad
This is a democratic family; everyone gets a vote and I get five. - Carolee Wende’s Dad
Never be so broke that you cannot afford to pay attention. - Michael Brose’s Dad
Don’t be foolish just because you know how to. - Maynard Alfstad’s Dad
And last, The golden rule: the guy who’s got the gold makes the rules. - Paul Wagner’s Dad
From U.S.A. Today, Monday, June 15, p. 11c.
Well, some are great and some not so great
When Jesus gives us a rule, it is a good and beneficial one.
Rule = an authoritative, prescribed direction for conduct, a usual, customary, or generalized course of action or behavior.
Here, in this chapter, Christ is confronting us with change in our behavior. Understand this:
o This command can only be applied by those who wish to please God
o Change comes when the will is surrendered first. It may not be our nature to make the change, but as we work on it, our nature will eventually improve by habit (Rom. 7:15-25)
What code of conduct do you live by when it comes to others?
Transitional Statement: We first need to take a close look at the attitude of a changed life so we can execute this command with a proper heart in proportion to the command.
Body
1. Attitudes of a Changed Life
A. Genuine Impartiality (7:1-5)
i. When we see the word “therefore” we need to take a look at the previous text.
ii. We need to be free of partiality
iii. We would expect a fair shake and right judgment from others about ourselves, we should expect no less from ourselves about others. Micah 6:8 - He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
iv. How do we treat others, the same or with judgmental attitude? - James 2:1-4 – 1My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 2For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; 3And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: 4Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? (see also James 3:17)
v. I read about an incident that reminded me of a great principle. In the late 1700’s, the manager of Baltimore’s largest hotel refused lodging to a man dressed like a farmer because he thought this fellow’s appearance would discredit his inn. So the man left. Later that evening, the innkeeper discovered that he had turned away none other than Thomas Jefferson! Immediately he sent a note to the famed patriot, asking him to come back and be his guest. Jefferson replied by instructing his messenger as follows: "Tell him I have already engaged a room. I value his good intentions highly but if he has no place for a dirty American farmer, he has none for the Vice President of the United States." Likewise, the Lord is often pushed aside in our lives because we disregard needy believers of humble circumstances. We forget that Christ may be in the small child who needs attention, the exhausted wife who needs encouragement, or the frustrated laborer who needs recognition. He might be in the grieving grandmother, the lonely shut-in, or the struggling neighbor. They may seem to have little to offer, but if we show kindness to the "least of these," it’s as if we are doing it to Christ. --Daily Bread
B. Godly Love (7:11)
i. Matthew 22:39 - This is the first and great commandment. 39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
ii. Like the Father’s love for us in giving us good things (verse 11), should we have any less a standard?
iii. You choose to love, so even when you do not love someone, you should force yourself too.
iv. In his book Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis wrote, “Do not waste your time bothering whether you ‘love’ your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this, we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him. If you injure someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking him more. If you do him a good turn, you will find yourself disliking him less.” Our Daily Bread, Thursday, February 14.
v. Love one another - 1 John 4:7-12 - 7Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 12No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
vi. True Godly love is unstoppable - Song of Solomon 8:7 - Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it:
C. Gracious Respect (7:12)
i. Some people feel like the man who once told his father, ’Nobody likes me.’ His father said, ’Don’t say that, everybody hasn’t met you yet.’ Rodney Dangerfield, I Don’t Get No Respect
ii. All of us want to be respected but we don’t want to give it out as freely.
iii. This verse is the summation of all that is gone before. You treat others the way you want to be treated
iv. It all comes down to respect - Romans 12:10 - Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another;
v. Lifting others up as you would like to be lifted up - Philippians 2:3 - Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
vi. Do you really respect others in your life?
a. Fellow church members
b. Leaders
c. Co-workers
d. Children - We are so self-absorbed in making them respect us that we forget how God views them:
• Matthew 19:14 – But Jesus said, Suffer (don’t hinder the) little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
• Matthew 18:3 - 4Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. 6But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
vii. How we show respect to others - Zechariah 8:16-17 - 16These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbor; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates: 17And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbor; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD.
Transitional Statement: Not only should our attitudes be different but our actions should be distinct and reflect what this command in verse 12 is all about.
2. Actions of a Changed Life
A. Respect for Other’s Opinions
i. All of us have an opinion
ii. Sometimes, we have the belief of Disraeli who said, “My idea of an agreeable person is a person who agrees with me.”
iii. You may not respect another’s opinion but you should respect their right to have one.
iv. Our opinions may or may not be correct
B. Regard for Other’s Feelings
i. We need to be careful not to hurt the feelings of others
ii. How do you want to be talked to or treated that will not adversely affect your feelings?
iii. Ephesians 4:32 - And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
C. Rejoice in Other’s Successes
i. Forty thousand fans were on hand in the Oakland stadium when Rickey Henderson tied Lou Brock’s career stolen base record. According to USA Today Lou, who had left baseball in 1979, had followed Henderson’s career and was excited about his success. Realizing that Rickey would set a new record, Brock said, ’I’ll be there. Do you think I’m going to miss it now? Rickey did in 12 years what took me 19. He’s amazing."
The real success stories in life are with people who can rejoice in the successes of others. What Lou Brock did in cheering on Rickey Henderson should be a way of life in the family of God. Few circumstances give us a better opportunity to exhibit God’s grace than when someone succeeds and surpasses us in an area of our own strength and reputation.
Our Daily Bread, June 19, 1994
ii. Romans 12:15a – Rejoice with them that do rejoice, . . .
iii. Sometimes we don’t rejoice with others because:
a. We are jealous of their success
b. We wish that was us (envy) instead of them
c. We feel they don’t deserve good things because they aren’t as right as we think they should be.
iv. None of these is the way Jesus wants us to look at the good things that happen to others.
v. 1 Corinthians 12:26b – . . . one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it.
D. Respond with Compassion to Other’s Trials
i. Romans 12:15b – . . . and weep with them that weep.
ii. Once during Queen Victoria’s reign, she heard that the wife of a common laborer had lost her baby. Having experienced deep sorrow herself, she felt moved to express her sympathy. So she called on the bereaved woman one day and spent some time with her. After she left, the neighbors asked what the queen had said.
’Nothing," replied the grieving mother. ’She simply put her hands on mine, and we silently wept together."
iii. 1 Corinthians 12:26a – And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it . . .
iv. We have care and concern for others when they hurt and suffer
v. We pray, comfort and encourage others
vi. We show Jesus to the unsaved when no one else in the world cares but they see we do.
Concluding Statement: The bottom line is, what we expect from others, how they treat us, how they react to us, how much they respect us, is not based upon what we think they should do but how we treat them.
Conclusion:
How do you treat others? What do you expect from them in return?
Remember, you get what you give, you reap what you sow.
